Doñana Birdwatching Tour

Duration: 4 days.

Availability: All year round.

Fare: Ask us.

Description

Doñana is the Europe´s biggest ecologic reserve, where more than 400 birds species have been there watched. Some of the more remarkable birds are really threatened like the Spanish Imperial Eagle, Red-knobedd Coot, Marbled Duck and White-headed Duck. This makes birding in Doñana an unrepeatable experience. We can also find the Iberian Lynx one of the most threatened felines of the world.

For four days we will visit the best places to birdwatching around the countys of Seville, Huelva and Cádiz. The protected area takes 117.00 ha and within it and their sourroundings we can find marshes, rivers, streams, umbrella pine and cork oak forests, meadows, mobile dunes, sandy cliffs, rice paddies and other crops.

Planning

Day 1: Firstly we will head for Brazo del Este (which is located only a few kilometers away from Seville). This place is composed by rice paddies and an extend network of channels and wetlands taking up the former riverbed of the Guadalquivir. Although nowadays it is isolated of the rest of Doñana, it is an excellent site for birdwatching. Some of the outstanding species here are Collared Pratincole, Purple Swamphen, Glossy Ibis and the Squacco Heron.

In the afternoon we will drive to the hotel where we will rest during the whole tour.

Day 2: We will visit Southern Doñana, in the County of Cádiz, where the Guadalquivir river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. In this area the main habitats are marshlands, salt plants and beaches. It is the best place in Doñana to observe two of the most threatened birds of Spain, the Marbled Duck and White-headed Duck. Furthermore in the salt plants and the beaches can be observed a great variety of waders and Slender-billed Gull. Close vineyards are wonderful sites to observe Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin in summer time.

Day 3: We will drive to the West of Doñana, surrounding the picturesque small village El Rocío. In the cork tree forest and along the Rocina stream we can observe Iberian Chiffchaff, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Short-toed Treecreeper and other forest birds. The marshland close to El Rocío is alsoexcellent to watch waterfowls such as Red-knobbed Coot and Greater Flamingo.

Finally we will get into the Atlantic Ocean, there are two very different sceneries, on one side huge mobile dunes and to the West fossil dunes cliffs.

Day 4: We will finish our tour going to Northern Doñana. It offers one of the best opportunities to observe the Spanish Imperial Eagle. We will visit Dehesa de Abajo, the rice paddies and we will drive through the limits of the Natural and the National Park to get into José Antonio Valverde visitors center. The Pin-tailed Sandgrouseand a extensive list of wetland birds can be observed here.